Better Kept Secret
by flight 29 down girl
Summary: Jackson is searching for his birth parents. Little does he know Les is wrong about them. His parents are both dead and Cody Jackson really is all alone. What happens when the Wu family asks him to become their son?
1. Chapter 1

Jackson ran into the house as fast as he could.

"What's going on?" Daley asked watching Jackson swirl Lex around in his arms.

"You did it little buddy. I knew you were a genius!" Then he grabbed Melissa and did the same.

"Somebody's happy." she laughed " Did you get mail at all?"

Jackson pulled back and waved a manilla envelope around in the air.

"Right here!" he threw his head back and let out a victory scream making the girls laugh.

"Well open it!" Taylor said already impatient." I want to see what happens!"

"But whatever it is, Man, we still love you" Nathan told Jackson. Looking around he added" Right guys?"

"RIGHT!" they all agreed.

Jackson tore the envelope open, ready to see a glimpse of his real future.


	2. Chapter 2

Jackson silently read the letter to himself.

We regret to inform you that there are no records of Tyler Jackson in the system.

Okay… Jackson thought so my dad really is dead.

Cara Jackson has been a drug addict for years and she's flying high right now. As if Thursday July, 24 2007, Cara has been a sleepwalker. The Los Angeles County Police Department says tht she walked clean off of a bridge in her sleep. They had no salvagable records of the son that was supposedly born.

So, Jackson thought Mom and her sleepwalking have reached a whole new level. She's dead and my dad never did exsist in the first place.

"What did it say Jackson?" Melissa asked. He couldn't talk, he was going to cry if he had to tell Melissa he was parentless and lex had been wrong. He never was wrong.

"Jackson?" Lex was tuging on his leg, looking up at him with wide eyes. Jackson shook him off and muttered.

" How could you be wrong?"

"More information please Cody." Melissa asked worried about him. Jackson kept things inside a lot and she knew from doing it herself that that wasn't the healthiest option to have to resort to.

"Tell me Cody. Just be honest."

Taking a deep breath he forced out the horrible news that would change his life forever.

"My mom killed herself. My dad really doesn't exsist anyway. At least not legally. I have no parents Mel." Jackson said slowly realizing something huge…

"I am really all alone."


	3. Chapter 3

He had to stop everyone from looking at him with their amazed eyes and hands over thier mouths. It wasn't like this was a freak show, He had just been proven right.

"Oh gosh… Jackson that's awful." Taylor said reaching out to give him a hug. Melissa kissed him and rested her head on his shoulder. He felt like he couldn't breathe right.

Trapped. Just like in the foster home.

"I'm gonna take walk." he slammed the door behind him and headed the only place he could think of.

The bar was loud and full of cursing and noise. He had to have as many as he could take for this horrible news. Jackson never got drunk unless it was something he really couldn't handle.

"My parents are both dead. They don't love me. The state doesn't know who I am."

"My mom was a drug addict and an alcoholic. Better see that it's in my blood too."

He sat down and chugged the beer in front of him and followed it four more times. By than he was spinning, his body was sweating and his vision was blurry.

And he still felt like crying.

On the way home, Jackson had to grip a trash can for support because he was too drunk to walk. It hurt to see all their faces waiting to hear the news and his not being able to say anything. They didn't deserve to feel crappy. He did. All those spoiled rich kids had parents. He didn't. He had made a mistake becoming friends with them. Melissa….. he thought about her and realized that she would be devastated if she found out the news.

He had already done that to her on the island. He couldn't do it in Reality too.

He hated himself more and more as he stumbled through the door to the Wu's house.

"Happy Birthday Derek!: he called. Everyone looked up, in the middle of celebrating.

"Cody, let me see." Melissa came over to him and he felt her hands wash over his cool skin.

"Oh baby, You are so hot… Let's ditch these guys and go upstairs.. "he trailed off biting her neck a little wanting to escape to Mel's body and have her make him feel like her whole world.

"Not yet baby. but we can later." she answered as Derek came into the room.

"I want to talk to you."

"What do you want old man?" Jackson snapped at him.

"I know how drunk feels Jackson. How much have you had tonight?"

"Four or five but what do you care?"

"I care about you."

"Buzz off!" he cried "I don't need you. You don't need me wrecking Melissa's life anyway. I bet you'd be glad to be rid of me huh?"

He turned to Melissa" I love you so much baby."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah totally fine. Just loving life that's all. You really look sexy tonight."

"Thanks" she blushed and Derek interupted with"Cody, I know what hurt feels like. I lost my mother when I was ten and my father left when I eighteen. I was on my own for five years until Melissa's mom came into my life. We feel for you so much and our daughter certainly does too. So I wanted to ask you something."

" Nothing can be said by you guys that I haven't already heard before Mr. Wu. So let me have it. You want to kick me out of Melissa's life because you don't want a gangbanger messing up her heart with crap like his huh?"

"Actually Cody, far from it. Actually, the exact opposite. We love you as much as we love Melissa and Nathan and all the rest of them. So, with your permission of course, we wanted to know if you would like to become part of this family."


	4. Chapter 4

What?! His mind was spinning with questions and possible scenarios that made him guess why Mr. Wu had said what he heard him say.

Melissa's parents wanted to adopt him!

"Are you serious? You wanna adopt me?" he asked totally baffled as to why.

"Of course we do Cody." Hanna smiled at him."You are so amazing to Melissa that we figured why not just let you stay here with us? Cody, honey, if you need a mom, know I am here for you."

"As am I." Mr Wu said looking at Jackson who had started to tear up. "You need love and a real father. I will gladly be it for you."

"Eww!" Eric cried "You're gonna be dating your sister!"

"Not offically and it's my adopted sister. Not my blood which makes the two of them not the same thing at all."

"It's still gross!" Eric squirmed and Jackson hit him in the ribs."Shut up!"

"So what do you think Jackson?" Melissa asked holding him close.

If it meant he got to be with her without any questions being asked then yes. The Wu's had been there for him when noone else was. This would be like really being loved and feeling safe for the first time in years. The idea felt good to him and he nodded.

"Sure."

"Okay honey, I got the papers right here just sign off and it'll be good to go. "

He smiled for the first time and signed his name.

Cody Jackson was now officially part of the Wu family.


	5. prolouge - party

Jackson stared at the laptop screen in front of him. Derek Wu's 40th birthday was in full swing, leaving the house smelling like cake and melted ice cream.

He was ready to find his real parents.

Lex was typing information into the boxes and he ruffled his black hair excitedly. This was a big moment for Cody. Finally seeing who his real parents were. He was ever grateful to Lex for his knowledge about things and he knew that he would find exactly what he was looking for.

Lex was never wrong. Jackson smiled gripping the chair he was sitting on as they got closer and closer to discovering the truth about his family.

Lex couldn't be wrong. Could he?

"Are you sure about this?" Lex asked from his place at the desktop computer. He nodded amd Lex hit send. The information was spinning over their heads now and Jackson relaxed, almost falling asleep. He knew things would be great in three to four business days. He just had to wait.


End file.
